1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive headlamp control apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an automotive headlamp control apparatus and method which are employed to control an illumination pattern of a headlamp unit by rotating the headlamp unit and/or adjusting a light blocking region of the headlamp unit based on the position of a front vehicle located ahead of the vehicle in a driving direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
All vehicles are typically equipped with automotive lamps. Automotive lamps generally have a lighting function and a signaling function, among others functions which vary depending upon model. In particular, automotive headlamps enable the driver of the vehicle to easily see objects around and ahead of the vehicle while driving at night or in a dark area. They also notify other vehicles and road users of where a vehicle is or intends on going. For example, headlamps and fog lamps are designed for providing light for the driver, and directional indicators, taillights, brake lights, and side markers are designed for providing signaling functions.
When a driver is driving a vehicle at night or through a dimly lit tunnel, light emitted from light sources used in headlamps or tail lamps of the vehicle enables the driver to see an area ahead of and behind the vehicle. Thus, this light ensures safe driving. Often, an automotive lamp includes an optical functional body and a plurality of reflective surfaces in order to properly disperse light emitted from light sources or polarize or concentrate refracted light to area in front of the vehicle.
Recently, there has been increasing demands for safety to ensure safe driving. For example, when a vehicle is being driven with headlamps on at night, the headlamps may dazzle the driver of a preceding or oncoming vehicle located ahead of the vehicle in the driving direction, thereby obstructing the driver's view. Accordingly, this can increase the probability of car accidents. Thus, a solution is necessary that can ensure the visibility of the driver of the vehicle without obstructing the view of drivers of the preceding or oncoming vehicles. One suggested solution is a system for automatically controlling headlamps of a vehicle, such as an adaptive front-light system (AFLS). AFLS can ensure driver visibility by obtaining information about road conditions based on an image of the road ahead and controlling an illumination pattern according to the road conditions. However, the conventional AFLS does not take into account the location of the preceding and oncoming vehicles and thus can still dazzle the drivers therein.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.